NO EXPLANATION GIVEN WHY MRT STOPPED SUDDENLY AND CAUSED INJURY

Dear A.S.S. Editor

I have boarded downtown line train on 10 Jan 17 845am at Newton station. Travelling towards Little India station, the moving train emergency braked. A lot of passengers fell down including me. When I said fell down, I mean FLAT on the ground. Imagine the impact of the e-brakes.

No aftermath announcements, no explanations, no offer to first aid to those who fell. And Downtown line trains have CCTV, so the officers know what’s happening. Feedback to Bugis station passenger office, a Singaporean Chinese male officer. He said he knows the e-brake was applied due to the train in front was slowing down. He claimed the system did not allow announcements to be made. He brushed me off by saying the emergency brakes have to be applied, better than having a collusion. If the train in front is already slowing down, why shouldn’t our train slow down sooner but have to apply e-brakes? Are we waiting for a disaster to happen before our concerns should be addressed?

No first aid offer to me when I said my knee is bleeding slightly due to abrasions. No proper explanation given when I asked him what if there were pregnant ladies and elderly fell down. Is SBS transit ready to take responsibility?

I sustained a very bad shin bruise which spreads to almost 12cm of diameter resulting in a very swollen leg for more than a week, $300 of medical bill and medical leave totalling to 6 days. I have feedback this matter to SBS transit as I strongly feel that they owe the passengers a proper explanation as to what happened. I even feedback to LTA and Ministry of Transport so they are aware of this matter. Unfortunately, SBS transit only offered to pay my medical bills with no proper explanation as to what has happened on that day even after a month of waiting (I was promised 3 weeks of waiting to get an explanation). Could it a system or signalling fault which we are unaware of and putting our lives at stake by boarding Downtown line? After the incident, I do not dare to board this line. The public needs to know what has happened and what should be the corrective measure when such incidents happened? Are we going to have another officer to brush off a bleeding pregnant lady or elderly like how he has brushed me off?

I am really disappointed to how SBS transit has simply kept quiet on this matter despite promising a reply to me within 3 weeks. When I enquired further, it appears they had to solve some internal issues which the protocols stated it do not warrant any explanation to me. I have wrote in to TODAY and SPH but they have ignored my story. Looks like no one is interested in covering the truth these days anymore.

Chua MH

A.S.S. Contributor